The Electrical Distributors’ Association (EDA) has released its Digitalisation Survey 2026, offering one of the most detailed snapshots yet of how digital adoption is progressing across the UK electrotechnical supply chain. B2BE was delighted to sponsor this year’s survey and while the report covers a wide range of topics, from sustainability to AI, the findings around digital sales processes, data, and system integration stood out most strongly to us.
Below, we’ve highlighted the insights we found most interesting – and most relevant – for electrical wholesalers, manufacturers and anyone thinking seriously about automation and digital transformation.
Digital channels are growing but they’re not replacing relationships
One of the clearest messages from the survey is that digital capability is expanding, but traditional ways of working still matter.
- 42% of wholesalers now have an eCommerce-enabled B2B website, up from 35% in 2022.
- Adoption is far higher among medium and large wholesalers, with 87% already offering or planning eCommerce.
- Despite this, the proportion of sales going through digital channels has barely moved since the last survey.
What does this tell us? Digital isn’t replacing the branch or the relationship – it’s augmenting it. Customers increasingly research online, check availability, and compare products digitally, even if the final transaction still happens via phone, email or in-branch.
For us, this reinforces the importance of connected systems. Automation works best when digital channels, ERP systems and customer-facing processes all share the same data and workflows.
Expectations are high: digital sales are set to accelerate
While digital sales volumes remain relatively small today, confidence about the future is strong:
- Nearly 70% of wholesalers expect online sales to double or more over the next five years.
- 39% believe digital volumes will more than double.
That’s a significant shift in mindset compared to the previous survey. It suggests many businesses recognise that change is coming – even if customers aren’t forcing it just yet.
The challenge will be scaling digital operations without increasing manual effort. As volumes grow, automation around order processing, pricing, inventory visibility and fulfilment becomes critical.
Integration is no longer optional
Another standout theme is the sheer number of systems wholesalers are now using alongside their core ERP:
- Business intelligence and analytics
- CRM platforms
- Inventory optimisation tools
- Warehouse management systems
- Marketing automation
At the same time, punch-out and customer-specific sites have almost doubled since 2022, particularly among larger wholesalers.
This creates opportunity – but also complexity. Without integration, digital growth can quickly lead to duplicated data, manual rekeying and errors.
From a supply chain automation perspective, the message is clear: integration is the foundation. Connecting ERPs, eCommerce platforms, supplier systems and customer procurement tools is what turns digital ambition into operational reality.
Product data is the real engine of digitalisation
If there’s one area where the survey is undeniable, it’s data.
- Significantly more wholesalers now source product data from EDATA than in 2022.
- Wholesalers repeatedly highlighted that ease of data collection influences which products they put online.
- There is strong consensus that high-quality, standardised product data is essential for eCommerce, automation and future regulatory requirements.
Poor or incomplete data doesn’t just slow down digital projects – it actively blocks them. And as AI-driven tools become more common, the impact of bad data will only be amplified.
AI is coming – but cautiously
AI is no longer a fringe topic, but adoption remains measured:
- Only 36% of wholesalers currently use AI tools, mainly for analytics and marketing.
- Among manufacturers, just 12% are actively using AI for product data creation, although many more are investigating it.
What’s interesting here is not how advanced AI usage is today, but where people see the value:
- Reducing manual admin
- Improving data enrichment and classification
- Supporting forecasting, stock optimisation and trend analysis
All of these benefits rely on one thing: clean, connected data. AI doesn’t replace the need for good digital foundations – it depends on them.
Our thoughts on the results
For us at B2BE, the survey reinforces several long-held beliefs:
- Digital growth is inevitable, even if it’s incremental
- Data quality and integration matter more than flashy front ends
- Automation is key to scaling without eroding margins
- Collaboration across the supply chain is essential
The survey has shown a sector that is part-way through its transformation – aware of what needs to happen, but still working through how best to do it.
The EDA Digitalisation Survey 2026 is packed with insight for wholesalers, manufacturers and solution providers alike. Find out more from the EDA here.
As sponsors, we’re proud to support research that helps the industry move forward – and we’re excited to continue the conversation around automation, integration and the future of the supply chain.